9-16-12 Ride the Hennepin Canal The last leg.

On Sunday 9-16-12 we headed out to ride the last leg of our journey on the Hennepin Canal, from the Steel Dam and Lock 30 at Milan to the Mississippi River and Lock 32. This was one of the shortest sections on the canal. The canal ends temporarily at Lock 29 on the Rock River, but starts again about 9 miles down the Rock River at Lock 30.

Lock 30 access to the Rock River to the east

Looking east through Lock 30 to the east, this year has been dry so the water level is VERY low in this lock.

This is a satellite view of Lock 30 in normal times

Lock 30 looking west on the channel.

The frame work of the old Steel Dam at Lock 30

Close up of the gears and winch of the Steel Dam at Lock 30

The gate of the Steel Dam at Lock 30

The Dam north of Lock 30 on the Rock River

The Bike Path just west of Lock 30

Coming up on US 67 Bridge

The view looking east under the US 67 Bridge

Just west of the US 67 Bridge is the remains of a Rail Road swing bridge

Just west of that old Rail Road bridge base is another earthen abutment where the present day Rail Road tracks run

South of Lock 31, where a reverse siphon takes the canal water underground for a short distance.

Where the water re-emerges a short distance later

Old bridge abutments east of Lock 31

Lock 31 looking east through the lock

The view looking west through Lock 31

 The canal looking west from Lock 31, fishermen utilize the canal almost daily. We rarely ride without seeing at least one fisherman and the fish seem to always be biting.

Lock 31 walk way bridge

North of Lock 31, where the water again goes underground for a short distance under a levee. 

To again re-emerge a short distance later, in this part of the canal there are more of these reverse siphons than anywhere along the canal due to the levee system. This is where we leave the canal for about a mile or so and travel along a short distance from the canal.

Looking east from the IL Rte 92 Bridge where we again join up with the canal

West of IL Rte 92 Bridge

 

Looking east through Lock 32, the last Lock on the Hennepin Canal

The upper retaining wall of Lock 32, in normal times this holds water back to keep the water levels higher east of here

Another view of the retaining wall

The west end of Lock 32, with the Mississippi in the background.

This satellite picture shows what normal water levels are at Lock 32

The breakwater wall at the end of the lock shows how low the water is now, the beach in the background should all be under water. 

The Mississippi is in the distance instead of right up to it.

Looking east from the down stream end of the lock, again this area should be under water.

Closeup of the breakwater wall.

Just to the left as I face east at the end of the lock is the Rock River flowing into the Mississippi.

Here Judy and I are at the end of the Hennepin Canal, we rode the entire canal, all of it twice because we had to park the car and ride to a point and then turn around and ride back to the car. Some sections we have ridden multiple times, such as from the Guard Lock at the Rock River in Rock Falls to Riverdale Road south of Rock Falls. We ride the canal almost every day at least a 8 mile round trip. Now we have to concentrate on the Great Mississippi River trail that goes from the Illinois/Wisconsin Boarder to Cairo, IL. But that's another story.